Current statistics indicate that one in 8 pregnant women consume alcohol (Floyd and Sidhu, 2004; herein incorporated by reference in its entirety). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a leading cause of non-genetic mental retardation and other neurodevelopmental deficits. FASD describes a continuum of permanent birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy, which includes, but is not limited to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (PFAS), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD), and fetal alcohol effect (FAE). The incidence of the FAS is between 1.3 and 4.6 per 1000 (Sampson et al., 1997; herein incorporated by reference in its entirety), while the prevalence of FAS and ARND combined is estimated to be as high as 9.1 per 1000 in the general population (Streissguth and O'Malley, 2000; herein incorporated by reference in its entirety). Each day, 6-22 infants are born with FAS in the US, but 87-103 more are born with ARND (Lupton et al., 2004; herein incorporated by reference in its entirety). The annual cost of FAS in the US is $3.6 billion, and there is no data regarding the cost of ARND.
A large body of data indicates that prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to deficits in overall cognitive ability, attention regulatory behaviors, adaptive responses and psychosocial adjustments in children and young adults (Mattson and Riley, 1998; Barr et al., 2006; Willford et al., 2006; herein incorporated by reference in their entireties). These deficits are observed in prenatal alcohol-exposed children with or without the diagnosis of FAS (Mattson and Riley, 2000; Barr et al., 2006; herein incorporated by reference in their entireties) and in the absence of mental retardation. The overall prevalence for attention deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) and learning disorders together is close to 60% among youth diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (Bhatara et al., 2006; herein incorporated by reference in its entirety).
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a leading cause of non-genetic mental retardation and other neurodevelopmental deficits. Although alcohol biomarkers have been identified, most register alcohol exposure and not its toxicity per se. There is no accepted method for diagnosing prenatal ethanol exposure other than retrospective assessment of maternal drinking behavior.